Nnamdi Kanu has formally terminated Ifeanyi Ejiofor’s services as his legal counsel and IPOB’s representative, ordering him to withdraw from all court matters and stop speaking on their behalf.
Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has formally terminated the legal services of Ifeanyi Ejiofor, the lawyer who represented him and the separatist group in numerous court cases since 2015, through a letter written from his custodial facility in Sokoto.
The letter, dated July 22, 2026, was published on X by Aloy Ejimakor, a legal consultant to Kanu, and the link was subsequently shared with journalists.
What the letter says
Kanu said in the letter that the correspondence served as formal written confirmation of a termination that had previously been communicated verbally, adding that despite the earlier verbal instruction, Ejiofor continued to act as counsel to IPOB.
The sender’s address on the letter reads: “Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, Sokoto Correctional Centre, Sokoto, Sokoto State, Nigeria.” An NBA stamp was appended alongside a notary public stamp bearing the name Kelechi D. Ogbonna.
Kanu was unequivocal in the scope of the termination, invoking his authority under the IPOB code of conduct.
“As the Leader of IPOB and the holder of the exclusive authority vested in me under the Code of Conduct, I hereby reaffirm that any authority previously granted to you to represent IPOB has been withdrawn,” the letter reads.
“Consequently, any purported mandate, instruction, or authority claimed to derive from any individual or body acting contrary to, or without, the authority recognized by the IPOB Code of Conduct is not recognized by IPOB and cannot serve as a lawful basis for you to hold yourself out as legal representative of IPOB or to make representations on its behalf.”
IPOB Code of Conduct invoked to block any future claims of authority
Citing Section II, Subsection A of the IPOB Code of Conduct, Kanu said the power to appoint, suspend or dismiss principal officers rests exclusively with the IPOB leader unless expressly delegated.
He maintained that no individual, committee or former office holder acting outside the provisions of the IPOB Code of Conduct can validly appoint or retain legal representatives for the organisation, and that any purported mandate or authority claimed by Ejiofor to represent IPOB was therefore no longer recognised.
Four specific demands made of Ejiofor
Kanu directed Ejiofor to take four specific actions with immediate effect. He ordered the lawyer to refrain entirely from making any public statements, comments, interviews, press releases, or social media posts purporting to speak on his behalf, on behalf of his family, or on behalf of IPOB.
He also ordered Ejiofor to cease presenting himself as legal representative of Kanu or IPOB in any forum, court or public space and to take all appropriate procedural steps required by law to cease acting as his legal representative on record in any matter in which he remains listed, including filing the necessary notices where applicable.
Confidentiality warning carries threat of LPDC proceedings
On the question of confidential information, Kanu issued a formal legal warning that went further than a standard termination notice.
“Accordingly, I hereby place you on formal notice that you are not authorized to disclose, publish, communicate, exploit, or otherwise use any confidential or privileged information acquired in the course of your retainer, whether directly or indirectly, for any purpose whatsoever, except as required by law or by order of a court of competent jurisdiction, without my express written authorization from me,” the letter reads.
“Any unauthorized disclosure or misuse of privileged information may constitute professional misconduct and may give rise to disciplinary proceedings before the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee, as well as any other remedies available under the law.”
Kanu cautioned that any breach of client confidentiality or unauthorised disclosure of privileged information could amount to professional misconduct and attract disciplinary proceedings before the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC), in addition to other legal remedies.
A legal relationship marked by repeated disputes
The formal letter is the latest chapter in a prolonged and contentious relationship between Kanu and Ejiofor that has been marked by competing claims of authority and multiple disengagements.
In June 2023, Kanu’s younger brother Kingsley Kanunta said Ejiofor and Senior Advocate of Nigeria Mike Ozekhome had been dismissed as counsel to the IPOB leader by members of the family. Ejiofor pushed back, saying Kanunta had no right to issue the statement since it was Kanu himself who had hired him, and insisted he had not been disengaged by the IPOB leader. Ejiofor nonetheless stopped representing Kanu in 2023.
In March 2025, Kanu hired Kanu Agabi, a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, to lead his defence in the terrorism trial. In October 2025, Agabi told the Federal High Court in Abuja that he and all senior lawyers on the defence team had withdrawn from the trial, saying Kanu had decided to defend himself.
In November 2025, Kanu was sentenced to life imprisonment on terrorism charges and transferred to the Sokoto Correctional Centre, where he remains as he pursues an appeal against the conviction. He was repatriated to Nigeria from Kenya in 2021 after being accused of jumping bail, and was subsequently arraigned on terrorism charges that culminated in last year’s life sentence.
